The first service which Blake performed after he took the command of the fleet, was delivering the coasts of Britain and Ireland from the depredations of Prince Rupert. This prince continued cruising in a piratical way, and making prizes throughout the greatest part of the year 1649. The parliament, as soon as affairs became more favourable to them in Ireland, gave orders to Blake and Popham to block up the prince's squadron in the harbour of Kinsale. This was done in the most effectual manner ; and to such extremities was Rupert reduced, that his men began to desert in great numbers ; which circum stance, along with the desperate state of the royal cause, made him resolve to force a passage through the parliament's fleet. He carried his resolution in to effect with the loss of three ships, and made the best of his way to the coast of France, and from thence sailektowards the Mediterranean, obstructing and injuring the trade of England by a system of privateering, as dishonourable to him as it was hurt ful to the trade of the commonwealth. Blake, ha virl been sent after him, arrived at St Andero, from which place he wrote a letter to the king of Spain, requiring that such of Prince Rupert's ships and men as were in his power should be delivered up, and threatening vengeance in case of refusal. To this requisition, his catholic majesty returned a civil an swer, and accompanied it with a ring worth R1500, as a mark of his respect for the admiral. Blake then followed Rupert into the Tagus, where he destroyed the Brazil fleet. The prince being, in consequence of this, forced out of the river, betook himself first to Carthagena, and then to Malaga, where Blake at tacked him, and destroyed all his ships excepting two, which he himself and his brother Maurice com manded. This event is said to have occasioned con siderable alarm in the different courts of Europe. But it produced the most sensible effect in those of Spain and Portugal, which immediately sent ambas sadors into England to acknowledge the power of the parliament.
On his return home, Blake.was cordially received by the Parliament, in whose cause he had made such gallant exertions. He was honoured with the thanks of the House ; and as a, farther expression of their gratitude to him for the past, and of their confidence in him for the future, they again conferred upon him, in conjunction with Deane and Popham, the supreme command of; the fleet. In the course of. the year 1561, he reduced the islands of Scilly, Jersey, and Guernsey, which had been held for the king, and which were extremely injurious to the country, on account of the great number of privateers that they harboured.
In the year 1562, war broke out with .Holland, and Blake was constituted sole admiral. On the 18th of May he fell in with the Dutch fleet, com manded by Van Tromp. Though he had no more than 15 vessels to contend against 42, he not only did not decline an engagement, but 'actually gained a victory, capturing two of the enemy's squadron, and disabling a third ; and, in consequence of a re inforcement of eight ships under Major Bourne, obli ged them to consult their safety in flight.
In the beginning of July he sailed to the north, for the purpose of destroying the Dutch herring fishery, which he imagined would convince the States, more than many defeats, of the absurdity and danger of disputing with England, the sove reignty of the seas. He found the fishing vessels under the protection of 12 men of war. A stout battle took place with the convoy, which ended in the capture of the whole. The fishery of course was left entirely to Blake's mercy. He treated those who were engaged in it with great humanity, but at the same time in such a manner as to impress upon their minds a strong sense of the maritime 'power and greatness of England. In his way home he took five or six frigates belonging to the Dutch fleet under Tromp, which had sailed to intercept him, but had been dispersed in a storm. After his return, he did great mischief to the enemy 'in the channel. And, in consequence of some hostilities which the French had committed at Newfoundland, he attacked a strong squadron, which they were sending to the relief of Dunkirk ; and, having taken or destroyed them all, that place fell easily into the hands of the Spaniards. On the 28th of September be engaged the Dutch admirals De Witte and De Ruyter. A well-contested battle ensued. It ended in the defeat and flight of the Dutch. For this Blake received the thanks of the parliament. In his next encounter with them, however, which happen ed on the 29th of November, he was not so success ful. Thinking that the season of action was over, he had detached above 40 of his ships to different stations ; and the Dutch admiral hearing of this, seized the opportunity of attacking him near Dover Road with his whole force. Blake fought with his usual valour and obstinacy ; but superiority of num bers at length prevailed, and, after suffering consi derable loss, he was under the necessity of profiting by the darkness of the night, and retiring into the Thames. The parliament, hearing the real cause of the disaster, caressed the admiral as formerly; again appointed him to the command ; and, in six weeks, provided him with a fleet of GO ships of war. On the 18th of February 1653, he fell in with Tromp, who had a fleet of about the same numerical strength, and between 200 and 300 merchantmen under con voy. Tromp was surprised to find the English ad miral so soon in a condition to meet him', and would probably have been glad to avoid fighting • but Blake was so stationed across the channel, ;bat it was impossible to escape a battle. The battle lasted for two days, and was even renewed in the morning of the third, when Tromp, finding that nothing was to be expected from farther resistance, but the de struction of his fleet, thought proper to sheer off to Calais, from whence he cautiously coasted it home, our fleet pursuing slowly, and picking up the strag gling ships. Blake was wounded in the first day of the action. On the whole, the Dutch lost, on this occasion, 11 ships of war, 30 merchantmen,. and about 3000 killed and wounded. The English suf fered about as much in men, but lost only one ship.